the group broke its near silence in washington, d.c., this morning. vice president wayne lapierre would not answer any questions, but he read a nearly 25-minute- long statement that called for armed guards in every school. here are excerpts of what he said. he was interrupted twice by protesters. >> the national rifle association's four million mothers, fathers, sons and daughters join the nation in horror, outrage, grief and earnest prayer for the families of newtown, connecticut, who have suffered such incomprehensible loss as a result of this unspeakable crime. for all the noise and anger directed at us over the past week, no one-- nobody-- has addressed the most important, pressing and immediate question we face: how do we protect our children right now, starting today, in a way that we know works? the only way to answer that question is to face the truth. politicians pass laws for gun- free school zones. they issue press releases bragging about them. they post signs advertising them. and in so doing, they tell every insane killer in america that